Cleansing Passion
by zulija
Summary: A short story about my female Inquisitor, Naminé Trevelyan, and Blackwall. For all of you enjoying Blackwall fluff. When you fall madly in love, nothing matters. Even the lies fade into oblivion and there is chance for a new beginning.
1. Chapter 1

"My lady," he whispers, forehead leaned against hers, his breath tickling and warming her face.

Naminé slides her hands down his shoulders and rests them on his chest. Her fingers dig into the rough fabric of his attire, unable and not wanting to let go.

"Blackwall..." she whispers heavily, tilting her head back to gaze into his eyes. "Stay with me."

He brushes her hair from the side of her face with the back of his fingers and Naminé leans into his touch, her eyes closed.

"What more do you desire?" he asks suddenly and she looks at him. "You already own my heart and everything I am."

"And yet you resist."

Blackwall's brows furrow, summoning a shadow over his strong features.

"It's... not that easy," he retorts, then takes a step away before he starts to walk a line up and down, his hands moving in explanation. "This... whatever this is between us, it is not supposed to even exist." Then he spins around to face her, "These lives are not ours to live. There is so much at stake."

Naminé clenches her hands hard and grits her teeth as she tries to talk some sense into him, "Are we not allowed to experience happiness?"

His expression turns full of pain as he looks at her, his eyes gleaming with sadness as he whispers, "You are the Herald of Andraste, the whole world depends on you. Me?" He takes a careful step in her direction, getting yet a little bit closer to her while he adds, "I am a nobody; unworthy of everything you _have_ and _are_."

"Blackwall..."

She can't bare it any longer. She erases the space between them and her hands grasp his possessively as the lump in her throat grows. She knows the feelings of the man standing in front of her and it hurts immensely to know he is still putting up a fight against their happiness. Maker knows why he is afraid to give in, but she decided long ago not to give up; her heart soars whenever she sees him, her world stops spinning whenever he is hurt in battle. Warden Blackwall has long captured her heart and she is going to make him see exactly that.

"Titles have no meaning to me," she whispers, "I care for you because of who you are as a man, not because of your name or heritage."

He looks so confused and so full of awe at her, Naminé isn't sure if she said the wrong thing. His eyes run across her face as she considers ways how to win him over. But then he kisses her, fast and unexpected.

She needs a second to realize what happened, but quickly leans into the kiss and closes her eyes. Her heart soars. Numerous feelings she can't even name explode within Naminé as Blackwall pulls her harder against him. She is overwhelmed, happy, excited, and immensely in love. But then he stops and pulls away roughly, but doesn't leave the spot in front of her.

"Maker..." she gasps for air as she holds onto him.

His grip on her arms tightens, as though he is afraid to let her go. After swallowing hard, he pants, "This is wrong. Please, my lady… I need you to end this, because I _can't_." His voice shakes a little at the end. The pain in his voice tears at her heart, but no matter how hard he tries to stop the ever growing affection between them, Naminé could never oppose it.

Naminé looked up at him then, hoping that all he needs is a look in her eyes for him to realize that she couldn't live with the idea of them not being together.

Clearing her throat, Naminé looks deeply into his eyes as she admits, "Never," only to earn a defeated sigh from him.

"You will regret this, my Lady," he tries to reason with her again, but Naminé could already feel that she broke his resolve.

To prove him wrong, she leans in and places a soft, almost innocent kiss on his lips. When she withdraws, she smiles up at him and asks, "Will you regret this?"

Warden Blackwall smiles at her and her stomach flips. His eyes stare into hers as he gently nudges her backwards, still holding her arms. To answer her earlier question he lowly replies, "No, it is perfect," and then she feels the hard stone of the railing pressing into her lower back.

Naminé gasps when she realizes she is trapped between him and the railing, but relaxes when he lowers his mouth to hers in a hungry kiss. She closes her eyes, breathes him in, touches him everywhere. His hands wander from her waist up to her back. Both repeat the pattern, both too hungry for each other. His lips leave her mouth to mark her neck, her jaw, to nibble her ear.

The numerous sensations and feelings deafens her. All she can smell is him, all she can feel is him and his touches. The problems of the Inquisition become nonexistent. The attempt to murder the Empress suddenly matters not as much as it should.

His kisses become softer and slower until he slowly pulls away. Naminé slowly returns to the here and now. Her eyes open and she realizes she is sitting on the railing with Blackwall standing between her open legs as he rests his hands on her thighs lovingly.

He peers at her from under his eyelashes, the look sexy enough to drive her mad, as he says softly, "My lady," but Naminé interrupts him with a chuckle in her voice.

"Aren't we a little past formalities?" she asks jokingly to which he laughs lightly.

But his expression sombers almost immediately and she becomes speechless by the intensity of his eyes. His voice is low and husky when he says, "This is no proper place to pleasure a lady," and Naminé almost squeals in excitement.

He gently picks her up in his arms. The two never break eye contact as they travel the suddenly too distant path to her bed. Once there he gently lowers her on the mattress. Her heart threatens to burst as she watches him climb on top of her, the intensity of his eyes burning the skin off her bones.

Soft, lazy kisses are exchanged while his fingers languidly undo button after button. Her own fingers mimic the same process on his attire, though with a little more haste. Still, her robe opens first and his hand immediately travels from her stomach up to cup her breast. Her back arches in response and the task to undress him suddenly becomes forgotten.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers against her ear, his hand instinctively moving under her breastband to find the hard peek craving for attention.

A soft, almost desperate moan grants him all the approval and direction he needs. His fingers feather over the hard peek before he gently squeezes it. She tilts her head back as his mouth wanders to her jaw, her throat and her chest. A hiss escapes her as his hand moves lower until he finds the fastenings of her trousers. Her pants open quickly and he steals a second to peel the glove off his hand before he returns to the task at hand.

Eagerly he pushes his fingers inside her underwear and she squeals in surprise. Blackwall stops and looks at her; there is concern in his eyes mixed with an equal level of amusement to her reaction.

"Is something the matter?" Though he asks innocently, Naminé can't help but hear the mischief in his voice too.

After swallowing hard she admits, stuttering, "N-no, everything's okay."

But she can already tell her lie has no effect on him. His hand disappears from her aching south and he leans back a little. He looks at her as though the answers are hidden somewhere in the lines of her face and he is careful not to misread them.

"My lady, if there is something I have done to upset you..."

Naminé sighs and leans her weight on her elbows. Her eyes dart to the ceiling because she is unable to look into the eyes of the man she has fallen for.

Sighing sharply, she tries to speak but her heart just beats so fast. Her body starts to tremble and Blackwall inches closer to her.

"My lady..." the concern is audible in his deep voice.

"The thing is..." she finally manages to speak, "I have - this is... well..."

Her cheeks turn red in embarrassment. Quickly she moves away from the bed and closer to the windows, closing her attire in the process. She hugs herself as she stares out the window, taking in the different shapes and sizes of the mountains surrounding Skyhold.

The snowflakes dance through the air and paint beautiful mosaics on the windows. For a moment she forgets she is not alone and she leans her weight on the nearby wall.

Just then warm hands embrace her waist from behind, but the suddenness doesn't startle her. Her back molds against his chest and she releases a long breath. His chin finds support on her shoulder and the rough ends of his beard slightly sting into the skin of her cheek. But Naminé couldn't be more relaxed, and the earlier fear to reveal him her secret suddenly fades.

In this moment she feels courageous enough to tell him what is too heavy for her to admit. "I haven't slept with anyone before. Being a daughter of nobility doesn't give you much freedom to explore life, you know?"

A deep sigh escapes him and she feels him relax as well. His warm, rough hands cover her own and he squeezes them slightly. He places a kiss on her cheek but his face remains there as he breathes her in. "There is no shame in that, my lady," he whispers against her skin and her gaze turns distant.

"Then why do I feel ashamed?" she wonders, whispering.

His voice turns slightly scolding when he summarizes, "Would you rather have slept with dozens of boys in your youth?"

The thought is preposterous to her and she immediately retorts, "No, of course not." After she swallows nervously, she adds, "I just never found the right person to do that with."

"And you deem me the right person?"

Gently she turns in his arms to face him. Her eyes are soft matching her voice as she admits, "Yes, Warden Blackwall, because you own everything I am."

"My lady," she watches his throat work as he swallows, "You render me speechless with your honesty."

"Too bad," she allows herself a joke, "because I do like your voice."

His deep chuckle rumbles through his chest before he leans down to kiss her. Her arms glide up his chest until she wraps them around his neck. The kiss grows eager and deeper until Blackwall interrupts it and Naminé almost swears. Still, a growl of disapproval escapes her and Blackwall chuckles as he raises her chin with his fingers.

"If that is your desire, my lady Trevelyan, then you shall have it. But not tonight."

Naminé blinks in surprise and confusion, hundreds of question floating through her mind in that very second. Luckily he quickly clarifies as he notices her blank stare, "I want it to be perfect for you; a night to remember."

He takes both her hands in his and holds them tenderly as he requests, "So please, give it a little more time."

There is no harm in what he requests of her but the honesty behind his words, the tenderness behind his actions, causes her heart to do a double flip. Her eyes glisten like two stars as she stares into his. There are words she wants to pronounce but they die in her suddenly too dry throat.

With a quick peck to her lips he wishes her a good night before he retreats from her chambers.

Maker, this man... she places a hand over her thundering heart as she tries to calm down. There are no words to describe just how hard she fell for him. All she wants is to be around him, to listen to his voice; to get to know him completely, to know every aspect of his life and learn his thoughts. Days without seeing him are dull and lifeless, and not even the reports can keep her away from him for too long.

Nothing matters to her more than Blackwall. For all she cares even Corypheus can wait in line until she has her long desired moment with him.

He makes her happy, maybe even a little reckless because all she can think about, even in battle, is him. He always tells her not to worry for him but she would always worry. It lies in her nature to protect the ones she cares for; like a lioness protecting her cubs.

Her eyes are still glued to the staircase, thinking about nothing but him and how she already misses him. Her heart begs seek him out, to steal just a few more minutes with him, but her mind reasons that it is late.

With a heavy heart, she decides to get some rest as well. As soon as the first rays of sun arise behind the horizon though, she would be on her way to him. To spend as much time with him as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

" _You literally walked the Fade?"_

" _How is that even possible?"_

" _The Grey Wardens should have been exiled."_

" _You did wrong by giving them another chance."_

Naminé couldn't listen to it anymore. Countless nobles requested to speak with her, demanding to know whether she truly walked in the Fade or not. Though most of them had the wish to express their thoughts on how she dealt with the Grey Wardens.

Personally she doesn't care what their opinions are. The nobles could talk all day long, all they would receive in return would be her ire. The nobles didn't witness the entire situation, thus they could not understand why she gave the Wardens another chance.

After her escape from the Great Hall of Skyhold and their guests, Naminé lingers for a second on the last stair and takes a deep breath. Her head weighs a ton from all the interactions and information, and with each step the drumming of a headache against her ears intensifies.

It would be best to retreat to her chambers and get her long desired rest, but her feet carry her instinctively towards the stables.

She hasn't seen Blackwall since they have returned from Adamant. The haunting look on his face as they returned to Skyhold is still imprinted in her memory. What had transpired at Adamant shocked him. Though he would never admit it, but it will disturb his sleep for many nights to come.

He watched his fellow Wardens fall one by one, until only a few of them remained. Her heart desired to go to him as soon as they returned, but something always held her back. Not now. She would reach the stables even if the Empress herself requested her presence.

The stables come into her view and her heart skips a beat. She is eager to see him so she adds a bit more haste to her steps. To her surprise, he is outside the stables chopping wood. This is something she isn't used to; usually he occupies the space in front of the fireplace while he works on the wooden sculpture of a pony for the children at Skyhold.

It takes one look at his face for her to realize that something troubles him greatly.

Carefully, she approaches him and never tears her eyes from his face. All he does is spare her a glance before he returns to the task at hand.

"Inquisitor," he greets her almost coldly.

Naminé sighs and looks around, and to her luck they are alone.

The look on his face speaks volumes. Grief, anger, sorrow, disappointment; her heart breaks at the sight of him like this. She knows him as a patient and brave man; now she watches at someone who never had any of these things.

Minutes pass, she patiently waits for him to initiate the conversation, but he stubbornly remains silent. She takes another step towards him. The familiar scent of Blackwall mixed with wood invades her, and she can't help but inhale deeply.

She watches him as he gently leans the axe against the chopped wood before he faces her. The look in his eyes pierces through her heart and she acts without thinking. Slowly she steps forward and throws her arms around his neck. His arms snake around her waist and pull her even harder against him.

Even the slightest touch is enough for her to know he is suffering. From what exactly she couldn't tell but she is determined to find out.

Slowly he pulls away, just enough so she can see his face. She is patient and doesn't push him to talk to her, but luckily he starts talking before her patience comes to an end.

"I have never seen the Wardens so weak and desperate… so broken…"

Naminé nods in understanding, her fingers playing with a few strands of his hair. Eyes closed, his voice sounds pained and full of remorse when says, "They did what they thought was right and Corypheus twisted that against them."

"None of them had your resolve; otherwise they wouldn't have faltered."

His eyes meet hers then, shining with an intensity that makes her speechless.

"They all would sacrifice themselves to save the world. They would do so proudly, without a second's hesitation." His voice sounds brave, determined, as he speaks to her.

"I know, and that is why we need the Wardens."

A faint smile curling his lips sets her heart ablaze. With it all the negative emotions vanish, leaving only the tenderness and care to shine in his eyes.

"Thank you for giving them a chance," he whispers, his hand moving to cup her cheek. "The decision might not have been made lightly, but you still saw the Wardens worth even after Corypheus has twisted their minds."

She leans into his touch and smiles contentedly, snuggling against his warm glove. Her eyes close and Naminé relishes in the closeness with Blackwall.

"We haven't seen each other the whole day," he whispers, and her eyes flutter open to meet his.

With a shy smile, she teased, "Did you miss me?" her heart racing in anticipation of his answer.

The smile he gives her is all the answer she needs. Still, he whispers, "A day without your visits quickly becomes dull. And I become… unnerved when I don't see your shining smile."

Her hands slide down to his chest and rests them there, her glistening eyes staring into his as she says softly, "Well, I am here now."

He smiles again, this time more mischievous as he lifts her chin and roughly whispers, "Yes you are…" before he lowers his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

Her eyes close as soon as their lips touch and she inhales his scent deeply. Her fingers curl into his attire, clinging to him as though her life depends on him. Her senses are flooded with Blackwall; his scent, the unique taste of his tongue, the strength of him as he holds her tightly. Everything is so uniquely his and she knows he is perfect for her just the way he is.

Sadly, the kiss ends sooner than she would have wanted it. He takes both her hands in his and holds them tenderly as he looks into her eyes.

Wordlessly they stare at each other. Blackwall squeezes her hands gently before he intertwines his fingers with hers. He looks at her behind his shoulder as he guides her towards the stables. "Come, I want to show you something," is all he says with a smile on his lips before he looks away.

Naminé's heart threatens to burst from the excitement and she happily follows him to wherever he might guide her. Her mind swarms with ideas of what he could possibly want to show her and each idea is more thrilling than the one before.

Once they reach the fireplace he leaves her there to retrieve something hidden from next to it. When he returns empty handed, Naminé's confusion grows as well as her impatience.

He stops in front of her and lowers his head a bit, and for a second he looks uncertain of something, but she can't see why.

"I - have something for you. Honestly, I don't know whether you will like it or not…"

His hands move and he present her his gift. Her eyes rest immediately on the tiny wooden sculpture of a Crystal Grace. Her wide eyes blink several times as she gazes upon the masterpiece; the similarity with a real Crystal Grace is astounding. The details match almost perfectly and she can't help but take it from him, to feel it under her fingertips.

She turns it around with her forefingers, noticing that he put the same level of detail on each side. The sculpture is the cutest thing she ever saw in her life.

Finally she tears her eyes from the masterpiece and looks into his. He is still uncertain and she can't help but smile brightly.

"You made this?" she asks, clinging to the sculpture with both her hands.

Blackwall nods once before he answers, "Yes, I wasn't sure if you'd like it -"

"It's perfect," she interrupts, then giggles, "I can't believe you made this."

"For you," he whispers, smiling, before he wonders, "Do you like it?"

She caresses the wooden sculpture as though it is a real flower. The smile is widely plastered on her face as she answers, "Yes, I like it very much. It looks like a real flower. It is beautiful."

"Nothing in Thedas can't compare to the beauty of your smile, my lady," he compliments her and her cheeks turn red in an instant.

Cradling the sculpture in her palm, she wraps her arms around his neck as she stands on her tiptoes. Her smile is wide as she admits, "You flatter me, my Warden."

His own smile widens and he leans his head to kiss her again. She closes her eyes, her senses already overwhelmed by him.

"Inquisitor."

Both draw back but never move out of their arms. The messenger of the Inquisition stands at the entrance of the stables with a bunch of reports in his hand. The young man is clueless of what he had just interrupted; or he pretends he didn't notice anything.

"Commander Cullen and Ambassador Montilyet asked me to bring these reports to you immediately."

Naminé sighs and steps away from Blackwall, smiling at him before she approached the young man. She accepts the papers and dismisses him before she turns back to Blackwall.

"We'll see each other later, my lady. I'll be here if you need me." With that he turns to the rocking chair and starts working on it again.

She gives his arse one last look, admiring the shape of it, before she walks back to her chambers. If the reports didn't bear any crucial information then both her Commander and Ambassador wouldn't request for her to see the papers immediately.

Naminé approaches her quarters wearily, dreading what she might read in the reports.

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter, promise the next one will be a bit bigger. Thanks for reading. The M part of the story starts soon.**


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